Mental Health

MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health includes one’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how people think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how people handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Those who experience mental health problems can have their thinking, mood, and behavior affected.

Examples of Mental Illnesses:

Anxiety

Depression

Eating disorders

Bipolar disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Where Does the Stigma Come From?

There is a strong social stigma around the topic of mental health within the Muslim community. This stigma stems from many different factors such as the lack of education, misconception of mental health/illness, label avoidance, shame, culture, and much more.

The majority of American Muslims adhere to the Western biomedical model of mental illness which focuses purely on biological factors and excludes factors such as psychological, environmental, and social influences.